METALS iO has announced plans to raise further funds to explore compelling gold and critical metals projects in Sierra Leone.
The diverse and inclusive global mining company headquartered in New York City, and focused on exploration and development projects in Sierra Leone, is currently raising capital to scale its Sierra Leone-based gold projects to production over an 18-month period and to acquire strategic West African critical metal projects.
The company says Sierra Leone’s mining sector is largely underexplored and underdeveloped, while it boasts a stable mining friendly government, transparent mining policies, clean hydropower infrastructure, and asphalt roads that provide access to all mining regions.
Metals iO focuses its acquisition, exploration, and development efforts on commercial-grade gold and critical metal projects in West Africa.
The company utilises geotechnical data and predictive analytics to identify areas of favourable mineralisation, and then leverages their local knowledge and expertise to conduct due diligence through research of artisanal activity and soil sampling to structure effective drill programmes.
‘Our highly experienced management team has operated in Sierra Leone for almost eight years, and we have achieved considerable success by acquiring compelling projects with Archean sulphide geology comparable to the mineral-rich regions in Australia and Canada,’ Tony Lawson, CEO, Metals iO told news portal Bizcommunity.
During the Precambrian period, the same volcanic activity that created the greenstone belts of the Canadian Shield, which hosts many of Canada’s significant gold and electric vehicle metals like nickel, cobalt, and manganese, formed the West African Archean Craton that covers up to 70 percent of Sierra Leone.
‘What’s remarkable is that the country is largely underexplored and underdeveloped when it comes to mining, and we are excited about its unique mining opportunities,’ adds Lawson.
US-Africa Leaders Summit
Early in December Metals iO was invited to the Biden-Harris Administration’s US-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, DC. More specifically, its wholly-owned gold company, Tresor Gold, was featured in the Prosper Africa Deal Room, which President Biden highlighted at the event’s highly coveted Business Forum.
The Summit convened African heads of state and senior officials, top business executives, scholars, and thought leaders in high-level meetings with Biden and his senior administration to underscore Africa’s importance as a geopolitical player.
The US President affirmed his unwavering alliance and support for an economically stronger, more robust Africa by supporting policies that foster sustainable human capital development through bolstering African trade and investment.
In his keynote speech, Biden stated, ‘when Africa succeeds… the whole world succeeds.’
Strategic investments in Africa are a win-win
‘We are honoured to be part of Prosper Africa’s Deal Room as well as part of the renewed conversations underpinning Africa’s importance to the global economy,’ says Lawson.
‘Exogenous factors such as Covid-19 and the Russian-Ukrainian War have exposed the fragility and interdependency of our supply chains.
‘Strategic investments in Africa are a win-win – if the US, its partners, and the private sector invest in and develop Africa to diversify supply chains and establish resource independence, then Africa benefits from job creation, technical skill transfer, and continued GDP growth.
Operating in Africa for almost eight years, our company is uniquely positioned to support supply chain initiatives for metals that are essential to technology, manufacturing, and electrifying our grids.’
